Explainers

How football works: rules, concepts and history.

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Boxing Day Football: Why England Plays Over Christmas

Boxing Day is 26 December and English football's most cherished ritual. Here is how the festive fixture programme works, where it came from and why it survives.

Explainers·42h ago

Corner Kick Rules Explained: What an Olympic Goal Is

How a corner kick must be taken under Law 17, what the 9.15-metre distance covers, and why a goal scored straight from the corner is called an Olympic goal.

Explainers·42h ago

Direct vs Indirect Free Kick: The Key Differences Explained

One can be shot straight into the net, the other cannot. A clear guide to direct and indirect free kicks, the offences behind each and the myths that persist.

Explainers·42h ago

Footballers' Salaries Explained: How Players Really Get Paid

How much does a footballer earn? A clear guide to base wages, bonuses, image rights, signing-on fees, taxes and the rules that shape pay across the game.

Explainers·42h ago

How Long Is a Football Match? Duration, Added Time & Extra Time

A football match lasts 90 minutes in two halves of 45, plus added time. Here is how the clock, stoppages, extra time and shootouts actually work.

Explainers·46h ago

Football positions explained: goalkeeper to the number 10

A clear guide to every football position: what defenders, midfielders, wingers and the number 10 actually do, where the names come from and how roles evolved.

Explainers·46h ago

Yellow Card and Red Card Rules: Bookings, Accumulation, Bans

How yellow and red cards work in football: which offences are punished, how cautions accumulate into suspensions, and the nuances that still confuse fans.

Explainers·46h ago

Promotion and Relegation Explained: How Football's Pyramid Works

How teams go up and down between divisions, why play-offs exist, and the licensing rules that can send a club down without a ball being kicked.

Explainers·48h ago

Premier League explained: format, points, relegation and Europe

Twenty clubs, 38 matches, three points for a win: how the Premier League decides its champion, the relegated clubs and its European places.

Explainers·48h ago

Catenaccio Explained: The Italian System That Changed Defending

A clear guide to catenaccio: the sweeper, man-marking and lightning counters that made Italian football feared, and what still survives of it today.

Explainers·48h ago

Penalty Shootout Rules: How the Tiebreaker Works Step by Step

How a penalty shootout works: order of kicks, who is eligible, sudden death, goalkeeper rules and the retakes that decide knockout ties.

Explainers·48h ago

Tiki-Taka Explained: How the Short-Passing Style Works

A clear guide to tiki-taka: what the term means, how the short-passing game is built on the pitch, where it came from and why it is so often misunderstood.

Explainers·48h ago